


Drunken Lullabies

by desiree_nikisplayground



Category: The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-12 02:23:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11727543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desiree_nikisplayground/pseuds/desiree_nikisplayground
Summary: A fast growing relationship occurs after a happy accident happens.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't a part of the Bourne Legacy fandom. It's just simply Jeremy Renner. It wouldn't let me post this without chosing a fandom, so Bourne Legacy is the closest to how he truly is anyway... at least when he's with Marta.

I held onto the coffee mug, staring out into space when he faced me, but right at him when his back was to me. How the fuck did I get here? I went from just being the shy girl that walked into his bar, to his roommate with no intentions for anything other than being friends. But that was four months ago and now I'm finding myself looking at him in another way. What was making me think this way? Feel this way? All of my friends thought that I was stupid for moving in with him, but my cousin Blair knew him so well, she would trust him with her life. That meant a lot to her cause not a whole lot of people was trustworthy in her opinion.  
Tight, dark blue jeans hung on his hips, hugging every curve of him including the front side. His favorite black shirt hugged his upper body, but the black leather jacket covered up his arms, oh how I would love to squeeze them. His hair was a bit of a mess, but that didn't bother me. He had rolled out of bed five minutes ago, because his daughter's mother showed up to collect her for their summer trip in Europe and I'm sure he had forgotten because of how quickly he had gotten dressed and slapped clothes onto her little body without matching them.  
"Goddamn morons at work don't know how to fix the fucking coffee machine. It's not that hard to figure out."  
"Ren, you're the one who hired them."  
"What am I to do? If I fire everyone, I won’t have any girls left."  
"Close for a few days. Test out, maybe, ten to twelve girls for ladies night and whoever survives, you hire." I sipped my coffee, watching him turn around from doing the dishes and lean against the counter. I could tell that he was flustered.  
"Why can't your friends come work for me?"  
"Cause they love their jobs and their spread out all over the states. I highly doubt you'll want to pay for all of them to fly out here."  
"Well, what's it going to take for you to come work for me? You're already living with me."  
I surprised a smile. "Darling, you'd murder me after a while. You wouldn't like a damn thing I'd do."  
"Bullshit. I love what you do with my girl."  
"She's a child. Big difference from stupid women."  
"Please come work for me."  
"Mmmm, nope."  
"I can't give you a higher pay rate, but I'll take away your rent."  
"Honey, you didn't charge me rent to begin with."  
"Ah....." He looked away when he remembered what he said to me.  
"I will help you pick the new staff members, though, if you want."  
He quickly looked back at me, eyes a bit larger. "Really? Cause it's extremely hard to say no...."  
"Yeah, ‘cause they push up their bras and flutter their eyes. You need to stop assuming that you'll get laid by them. You need a strong, independent women who will also love your daughter as her own. Like that one girl, Arlene."  
"Pfft. Hell no. That girl...I swear her red hair must be fake. I only hired her because guys like redheads."  
"Hair is fake, but she's a sweet girl."  
"Not strong, not independent, but doesn't mind kids."  
"Coraline?"  
"No, she gives me the heebeegeebees."  
"You hired these girls."  
"Yes, but I'm not the one looking at them. If you must know, I'm usually behind the counter, serving drinks or in my office doing paperwork."  
"Tell the girls that you're closing down for remodeling and when you'll open up, you will figure out who to hire back." I sipped more of my coffee, feeling my halo slightly tilting.  
"I don't want any of them back."  
"Like they'll know that."  
"I'm keeping my kitchen boys."  
"Fine. They're nicer anyway. And not stupid." I placed my coffee cup down. "And you can have your 'take your child to work days' like you've always wanted. Cause if you hire the right waitresses, they wouldn't complain about it."  
"You better be with her on those days. I don't need her mother complaining either."  
"I don't know why she likes me?"  
"No clue either."  
I hopped off of the stool and straightened out my shirt. "I've got to go to my interview. How do I look?"  
"Lovely."  
"Thanks. I'll come by the bar afterwards."  
"Right. See you then. Good luck."  
"Thanks." I grabbed my purse off the back of the chair and headed towards the front door. When I reached out for the handle, I became hesitant when I felt the feeling that something wasn't right. This was a constant feeling I had and it became worse when I moved in with him. I couldn't ever figure out what it was and that scared me more than the actual feeling.  
Pulling the door open, I stepped out, closed it behind me and headed to my car. My car was a shitty little, two door, green Geo Metro and as much as he begged me to get a new one, I was happy with this one. It never gave out on me and parking it was awesome. Getting into the car on a hot day, however, was a bitch. The AC was going out and the window on my side couldn't roll down. I sat there for a few minutes to roll down the passenger side, placed my purse onto the seat and then hooked my phone to the car charger.  
A knock came onto my window, making me jump. Jeremy stood there, bent over, waiting for me to notice him. "Other side!" I yelled, glad he heard and went around. "What’s up?"  
"I forgot that my car is in the shop. Do you have time to drop me off?"  
"Not really."  
"Mind if I wait in the car then?"  
"Sure. Just don't touch the CD player. It's touchy." I started the engine as he got in and checked the rear view mirror, hoping none of the neighborhood kids left their toys in the way. Last week I ran over someone’s Buzz Light-year and he had to replace it for me. I felt like shit ‘cause that poor kid cried for hours until we showed up with a new one. Thankfully for Jeremy's social status, he was able to get Tim Allen to sign it when we ran into him at the toy store. Seeing that boy's eyes lit up when he saw the video on Jeremy's phone was the greatest thing to see. Next to the day Jeremy's daughter met Wonder Woman.  
I pulled out of the driveway and headed out of the gated community, taking a left towards the highway. I was nervous with this drive because I was used to being carted around with a limo driver, but in a Mercedes car and I was a bit scared that this car wasn't going to make it. Normally I went right and stayed in the city, but this job was on the outskirts and a bit nerve wracking for me because I'd be the only other female working there.  
"What does this job do? You're not going to be the coffee bitch, are you?"  
"No. It's a receptionist job for a law firm."  
"I thought those types of receptionists need experience."  
"They do, but they said they were desperate for someone and I need the money."  
"For what? You know that I'll loan you some."  
"I know, but I want to do this on my own, even if it's a temp job."  
"What is the money for?"  
"Replacing the AC in this bitch." I wanted to slap his hand when he reached out to push on the button. "Don't even. You will fuck it up."  
"I bet you that I can find the problem."  
"I wish you wouldn't."  
"Either let me look, or let me buy you a new car."  
"I can't pay you back, so no."  
"Never said you had to, but you can always come work for me."  
I didn't want to argue. "I'll think about it." I was surprised to hear silence from him for once as we drove for twenty minutes before we arrived at the job site. I parked the car under a tree, far away from the front door, because I knew him so well. He would be picking at my car, while I was in my interview, just to find out the problem. I knew he cared about me a lot, he just never voiced it.  
"Alright. I promise I will be out as quickly as possible."  
"Hon, no rush. I only need to be there when the girls show up. Jay and the boys can handle things on their own. Get in there and kick ass."  
"Alright." I hopped out after killing the engine and grabbed my purse. I walked swiftly to the building, slowing down when I got to the door. But when I opened the door, that sickly feeling hit me so hard, I wanted to vomit. There, in the distant corner to my left was my ex from hell, covered with a facade. How the hell did he find out where I live? I moved away from Oregon to stay away from him. I missed my beautiful home state, I hate California, but it was better than going to Ohio and being scared all the time because I didn't know anyone.  
I scanned the room, hoping that someone else would be my interviewer, noticing that he spotted me, while he was on the phone. Thankfully the girl that worked there stood up and came over to me. I smiled and held out my hand, giving her my name and then followed her to the back office, opposite of my ex.  
The boss was in his chair, on the phone with someone and I couldn't help but think about the scene in Boondock Saints and choked back a laugh. He seemed polite with his salt and pepper hair, looking to be on the verge of a mid-life crisis, but the words he said on the phone said otherwise. He almost slammed down the phone, but I think he didn't want to scare me away as he turned to me and introduced himself.  
"I'm going to be honest with you. Sherry is the best receptionist we have and because you don't have the skills, we need someone who’s going to be fetching coffee and files for the boys. I've been told by Jason that you are dependable."  
"I'm sorry...." I cut him off. "Jason said that about me?"  
"Yes, is there a problem?"  
"Only that he's my ex and very abusive. I almost walked out of here if it wasn't for Sherry to come up to me. I don't know how you allow him to work for you, I suggest you look up the police files from the Marion County jail house. This seemed to be a promising job, but now it's not if you're going to be hiring anyone."  
"He said that it was over a woman who stabbed him."  
"Yes, I stabbed him in the side because he slammed my face into the fridge, cut my chest with a broken wine bottle and then raped me in front of my sister’s kids. They're in therapy because of him. I left Oregon, to start a new life. But hey, if he's here to stalk me at least he's leaving them alone."  
"Miss Clarke, I am sorry for the pain he has given you. Thank you for telling the truth. I will now have to investigate all of my workers and you can be sure that Jason will be thoroughly check out. How long were you with him?"  
"Three months, but it felt like three years."  
"I don't want to cause you more pain, Miss Clarke. But if you are desperately in need of work, I can refer you to our sister company inside of the city. Angela Barron is the best and even though she's a bit of a handful, she only hires females. If you prove you’re capable of handling their work, I can guarantee you that she will give you a beautiful raise by the end of six months."  
"Mr. Fenton, I would love the job, but if I'm only going to be a coffee girl, I cannot accept it. My car is a piece of shit, I'm living with a friend, whose daughter expects a lot out of me for a six year old and...."  
"What type of work does your friend do?"  
"He owns a lounge, really wants me to work for him, but..."  
"You think he's expecting sex out of it."  
"Yes." I was alarmed by his sudden assumption, but he was correct.  
"Angela knows a lot of people in the city. I'm sure she can find you the perfect job. I'll give her a call and let her know that you'll be stopping by this week, if not today. Your honesty and bluntness will impress her. Not many females act like that, unless their getting harassed."  
"I'm surprised that you haven't kicked me out of here."  
"I'm not your typical boss. I'm an asshole, but a reasonable one. I also don't tolerate pricks like Jason hurting women. Now that I have been informed, I'll be keeping a close eye on Sherry. May have to send her to Angela as well and get a male receptionist."  
"Make sure he's buff. I have a suspicion that Jason may be bi and likes them scrawny so he has control."  
"Damn woman. You know a lot about him for such a short relationship."  
"I'm nosy." He picked up a card and handed it to me.  
"There's my email. Let me know if you get a job and if you still come up short, I'll hire you as a nanny. My three girls need it."  
I smiled at him and took the card. "Alright. Thank you so much."  
"No, thank you." I got up, shook his hand and then made my way out of his office. I smiled at Sherry and then headed out to the parking lot, ignoring Jason as he called out to me. I made my way over to my car, glad to see that Jeremy was out of the car and under the hood, but upset that Jason followed me.  
"Shit, Mina. Do you need to be a bitch?"  
I turned around and glared at him. "Yes. I don't want to talk to you."  
"It's been a year." He glanced at Jeremy. "I see that you have moved on."  
"Of course I have and I'm better because of it."  
"I told you that I was sorry."  
"No, Jason. You don't do those things and then say you’re sorry. You just simply don't do them."  
"You know that it was the drugs."  
"You still had control over yourself."  
"I've changed. I'm going to church, I have this job, I get to see my son on the weekends now..."  
"I hope supervised."  
"And life cannot get any worse because it's getting better for me."  
"Good for you. I hope God has mercy on your soul, because I could give a fuck less."  
"I understand, but I've been praying that you can forgive me some day."  
"Keep praying ‘cause it ain’t going to happen."  
"Why not."  
I threw my purse through the window and got into his face as best as possible, since I was short. "I can handle my face being smashed in, you cutting me with a bottle, but raping me in front of my sister’s kids... that's unforgivable. They're going through heavy amounts of therapy, they can't look at other men, let alone their own father without thinking he'll do the same. I may be able to heal from physical damage, I may one day be able to trust someone again, but they will never get over what they saw that day. NEVER." My anger was so beyond the fine line, I never heard the hood of the car being shut and Jeremy stepping up beside me, until I felt his warm hand on my elbow and his deep fatherly voice coming out as he told Jason to back off.  
I stared him down as he walked back to his job, then got into the passenger side like I was told to do and buckled up. Jeremy drove us to his work, both of us silent the whole way there, but as soon as we pulled into his parking slot out back, I lost it. I punched the dashboard with both fists, screamed really loud and then bawled my eyes out. My door was pulled open, seat belt taken off of me and hands pulling my legs out of the car. I was turned to face him as he squatted and took my hands in his.  
"I cannot imagine the pain that you are feeling, but I am here for you. Beating up the car isn't going to make the pain go away, just going to add to the physical damage you already have." I could feel his thumbs rub over my knuckles. "You need a drink, hugs from the boys and AC in your face. Come in and stay for a while. Please." I slowed down my crying, stepped out of the car with my purse and waited for him to shut the door and walk with me into the building.  
I was smothered with hugs from the boys, glared at by some of the girls and hugged by Arlene. Jeremy poured me a shot of Jack Daniels, leaving it on the counter for me and then disappeared into his office. When I could slip away from Arlene, I downed the shot, laughed at the jokes the boys were doing and watched the girls set up for ladies night. I thought about my conversation with Jeremy earlier and wondered how crushed the girls were going to be if he went with my plan of shutting the place down and hire new girls.  
Arlene had been there the longest. The first to get hired and never took more days off than what was given unless her boys were sick as dogs. It was easier to fire the other girls, because deep down, their looks could get them better jobs. I made my mind up about Arlene the minute she took me into my arms, more so when the early birds arrived and started to harass her.  
The boys reminded their customers about the signs saying to not touch the women and I had enough. I marched into the office and dropped my purse into the empty chair, causing him to look up from the paperwork. "Fire the girls, hire new girls, I don't care. Just don't make Arlene leave."  
"I wasn't planning on to."  
"And you've got to reinforce the rules with the customers. This isn't a strip joint and even if it was the same rules apply. Those assholes are back and they slapped her ass."  
"Shit. Alright." He placed his glasses and pencil down, got up and went out to the tables. I went out and stood behind the bar with Crystal and we watched him kick the men out. They tried to argue with him but he wouldn't have it and added that it was ladies night anyways. Try again in a few days, if they were going to follow the rules. Thankfully they complied and left without a third warning.  
Jeremy walked back into the office and closed the door. I was hoping that he wasn't mad at me for speaking up about it. Even though ladies night didn't start until eight, no one really wanted to serve them. Arlene thanked me then made her way over to the piano to dust it down and I made my way into the office again, closing the door behind me.  
"Are you pissed with what I said?"  
He looked up at me over the rim of his glasses. "No. I'm not mad. Just need to work on the hours they've put in this week. Some of them had to work over time because Arlene's boys got into a car wreck with their father."  
"Oh, oh my. Are they okay?"  
"Yeah. Her mother has them for the weekend so she can work."  
"Well, since I am here, would you like me to do anything?"  
"Do you mind helping the girls set up for tonight? You don't have to worry about the stage, I'll get that once I'm done."  
"Sure, I don't mind."  
"When you're done, stay with Crystal behind the bar. Someone’s been stealing the Blue Curacao and I'm pretty sure it's not customers."  
"Sure it's not her?"  
"Pretty sure. She's been on vacation in Italy with her girlfriend. Just got back this morning and wanted to work tonight since her girlfriend went to her parents for the weekend. You don't need to serve, just keep an eye out. Pretend you’re doing paperwork or something."  
"Aye, aye, Captain." I saw his smirk and it made me smile.  
"Get out of here." He teased and I skipped out of the room and went to Arlene to assist her with the tables.


	2. Chapter Two

"You do realize that singing this song means that it's directed at you." I glared at Arlene when she reached over the bar to grab a cherry and pop it into her mouth. I wasn't sure if she was kidding or not.  
"The fuck you smoking?" Crystal asked her.  
"Nothing today. That man can never hide his feelings when it comes to you."  
"You're full of it." I exclaimed, keeping myself from looking at Jeremy as he stood on stage and sung to everyone.  
"Only when my boys don't let me go to the bathroom all day."  
"Why do you think that he's singing that song to me?"  
"One, its Journey, he knows it's one of your favorites and two, you just ran into your ex today, so it's fitting."  
"Fine, but what makes you think he likes her?" Crystal asked.  
"Did you look at the photo on his desk? It’s a picture of his daughter and a woman. Not with her mother, but with Samina."  
"You're lying."  
"Go look. If it's still there you owe me ten and you take the preppy bitches table." Crystal walked off and returned a minute later with a laugh as she handed over a ten dollar bill to Arlene. "Told you."  
"Why me? I have so much baggage."  
"Honey we all do. It's what you do with the baggage counts. Do you want it hanging all over you, or do you want to let go and start new?"  
Crystal spoke up. "Girl, if he had eyes for me, I'd be all over that shit. He treated baby momma like a Queen and she stepped all over him and used him to have that baby and the money that went with it."  
"I've seen how you two interact with each other, it's like you have no eyes for anyone else. If he could, he would give you the whole solar system."  
"I thought it was the whole world?"  
"New way of saying 'and then some." We giggled and then looked up at the stage, right as he hit the last note and I felt a new feeling flow through me. Like I suddenly saw him in a completely different light. Much different than I felt this morning. Any girl would say it was lust, but I swear it was more than that. No, not obsession. Shit, how else can I describe it? Like floating on a cloud. Sounds a bit cheesy, but it's as close as I can describe it.  
"Don't lose your panties already." I heard Crystal say, but I didn't have a response as he took a break, drank some water and talked to the pianist. One of the kitchen boys took stage and sang the Hollies, the Air that I Breathe and even though he was good, I wasn't interested. As I glanced around, I noticed that he was staring at the only other brunette in the place and was shocked that he would sing the song to her. Something was going on between them and it was adorable, but not the best song for him to sing. Claire was new, she's a bitch like me, but she knows what she wants.  
"Damn, boy knows how to pick ‘em."  
"What do you mean?" Crystal looked at Arlene, confused.  
"I know that look, Renner's going to sing it."  
"Shit? Really? You think he's going to?"  
"Sing what?" I piped up, curiosity hitting me.  
"He's either going to sing Purple Rain or he's going to sing End of the Road."  
We had no chance at placing bets, when the song came on and both Jeremy and two of the kids from the kitchen both started to sing. Words to End of the Road, came out of their mouths and my own dropped. My heartbeat went faster and my mind went blank. Was this another aim at me? Arlene would say yes, Crystal might back that up but the one person that knew the truth was Jay. I just wasn't sure if I wanted to know.  
A voice that I hadn't heard in six months rang in my ear and when I looked to my right at the front doors, I couldn't believe that another one of my exes was walking in with his new girlfriend. The same one he cheated on me with. He walked past me to the empty table three rows away from the stage. I was astonished, but my blood boiled when Jason walked in with some ditzy blonde with big boobs and went to the other table. This was ladies night and it said so on the chalkboard outside the door. Why were these douches here?  
"I think I'm going to vomit."  
Both girls looked at me and I quickly explained. They already knew my story with Kyle, but not with Jason until today.  
"its open mic, you could always tell them how you feel." Arlene piped up.  
"It's a lot of emotions. Kyle cheated on me with her but that's not what hurt the most."  
"Dude, it obviously makes Jeremy feel better to sing his heart out."  
"I don't know if I'm ready for that."  
"You don't have to say that you know any of us and you certainly don't need to talk to them. Just get up there, tell them what song you want to sing, they're good with keeping up with the singer. Just go for it." Arlene grabbed my hand and pulled on it. "Come on, it's going to be great!  
"I sound like shit."  
"SO? We can say you've been drinking." Crystal giggle. "It's what we do."  
I sighed. "Fine. But I'll kill you both if it back fires." I went around the bar and went up to the stage, stepped up and went over to the guitarist. I spoke to him and then went to the mic once Jeremy stepped away and stood next to the pianist, while Jay and the other kid went over to the bar. I inhaled and slowly let the air out, while staring at my friends. Adele's Send My Love to Your New Lover, came out of my mouth, my eyes moving down to Kyle's lit up face. The one on the guitar was awesome, but I didn't believe that I was. I could tell by the look on his girlfriend’s face that she was not pleased, my friends surprised with the song of choice and it was apparent on how long I had known him.  
I was hoping that Jeremy could forgive me for stealing his spot light and when I glanced at him, he looked like he was proud of me. I felt better to have finally closed that chapter in my life, but knew I'd be struggling with the other one. I tried to come up with another song, right on the spot, unable to control my mouth as You Ought to Know spilled out of my mouth. Classic Alanis Morissette song. It could go to both assholes, but this one seemed to fit Jason's psychotic side.  
A few cheers came from the bar as Jason's face melted into a sourpuss one. It was hard to not love what I was doing, fucking them up right in front of their women. I wish there was a better vengeance, but this was the only one to keep me out of prison.  
But I wasn't done yet and the girls knew it. Crystal handed the towel over to Jay and ran up to the stage, jumped up onto it and sang Heart with me. What About Love was directed to Jeremy and I was feeling my halo tip over more as I got back at him for making me feel embarrassed and feel emotions that I thought were long gone and impossible to get back.  
Once I was off stage, I headed straight to the bar and took a shot of Jameson, hopping behind the bar before Jason and Kyle could say anything to me. Both of them left with their ladies and I had a suspicion that they knew each other. Brushing the thought off, Arlene was loud as she boasted about my singing even though it wasn't the best.  
"Damn, Arl, give her some time to recover." Jay snapped. Crystal came behind the bar, laughing as she began to put some drinks together.  
"And what's so funny to you?" Arlene asked, hands on hips. Both she and Jay had their attention on her.  
"Renner's lost it."  
"How so?"  
"Can't you hear it? His piano playing is way off. He keeps missing keys. I think you singing that song got him frustrated, if you know what I mean." She laughed as she poured shots for the four of us.  
"I think you two should go home separately."  
"Or she needs to stay with one of us tonight." Jay blurted out.  
"I think I may do that!" The girls giggled.  
"Hey, when does he go to Vegas for that one show?"  
"What?" I looked at Arlene, then at Jay when he answered.  
"What show?"  
"That show with the fighters."  
"UFC?"  
"I think that's the one."  
"This weekend. And he's putting me and Crystal in charge until he gets back, Monday night. At least that's what I think he's doing, so don't quote me."  
"Well, I hope he doesn't get so drunk he gets hitched to some floozy."  
"Ren's not that stupid."  
Crystal couldn't hold her tongue. "Have you met his ex?"  
We held back from commenting, in case he could hear us. He knew exactly how we felt about her, but we never said a word because it was his problem. I gave respect to her, because of his daughter.  
I glanced up at the clock, noticing that it was twelve-thirty in the morning. "Yikes. I need to get home."  
"Awe, really?" Jay piped up. "The fun has just started."  
"Yeah, but I need to do some important things in the morning."  
"Alright. Good night and sweet dreams." He grinned as I said good night and went into the office for my purse. When I walked out, I asked them to tell Jeremy that I said that I was heading home and that I would talk to him in the morning. Jay shot off with something, I couldn't hear followed by everyone laughing loudly. I shook my head and headed out to my car, slowing down when I heard footsteps running up behind me.  
"Mina." I turned around and smiled at Jeremy. He slowed to a stop and while he tried to catch his breath he began to ask me what I was doing for the weekend.  
"Not much. Probably going to clean out my car."  
"Go with me to Vegas this weekend."  
"Oh, I don't want to impose on your get-a-way."  
"Nonsense. I'd like you to join me."  
"I don't like UFC..."  
"Please."  
He gave me the puppy eyes and I gave in. "Fine. When are we going?"  
"In the morning."  
"Not much of a warning."  
"Last minute thought."  
"Oookay. I'll go pack. See you at home."  
"Drive safe."  
I climbed into my car and buckled up, shocked that he would ask me to go with him. It wasn't a normal thing for him to do. What the fuck was I to do in the arena? I've never gone to one and I never watched it on TV. I sighed hard as I started my car and drove off back home.

 

Into the closet I went, finding that my sports bag had a large hole in it. I figured to ask him for one when he got home and started to fold clothes and stack them onto my bed. I then got all of my toiletries in a pile, make up in another and jewelry in another. I grabbed my black dress that I had been putting off for a while and hung it on the back of the bedroom door and went back to the closet to look for my favorite heels.  
I could hear him call out to me when he entered the house and I called back out, letting him know where I was. When he stepped into my room, he noticed the hole in my bag. "I have a spare suit case."  
"Oh, that would be great." I grabbed two sets of heels and brought them out of the closet, noticing that he was gone. When I got up and placed them onto the bed, he came in with a purple, hard case for me to use. "Oooh, fancy."  
"Rain proof."  
"Thank you."  
"Welcome. I'm going to go pack and in case I don't see you until morning. Have a good night."  
"You too." I opened the suitcase and began to pack my things, amazed at all the pockets inside. Don't ask me why, but it's always good to have a lot of pockets.  
By two a.m. I was in bed and halfway asleep, waking back up when I heard his phone go off and his voice talking sweetly. He sounded happy to hear his little girl and I realized that he had been worried about her and the traveling overseas with her mother. But once his voice changed, I knew that the bitch was on the phone.  
I climbed out of bed, shuffled across the cold, wooden floor and stopped in his doorway. His fist was clinched as well as his jaw and I was afraid of what he was going to do. Two seconds later his phone flew across the room, smashing against the wall and I went to him, sitting down in front of him. "Want to talk about it?"  
"Not really in the mood."  
"Okay." I stood up and kissed him on the forehead. "Try to get some rest." I turned, but stopped when his hand grabbed my arm, hand sliding down to mine.  
"I'm sorry for what you witnessed."  
"It's alright. You're upset."  
"Get some sleep, I'll have coffee ready for you when you're up for the day." He kissed my hand and then let it go. I made my way back to my room and climbed back into bed, worried about him.

 

Jumping out of bed when I smelled his cologne wafting into my room from the bathroom, I began to worry that I was making us late. Rushing around to get dressed, I noticed that my suitcase was gone. I grabbed my flats and purse and rushed out to the living room, seeing him holding a sixteen ounce cold coffee, holding the front door open.  
"Oh my stars. I am sorry. Did I over sleep? Did I make us late?"  
"Nope." He handed me the drink and I grabbed it on the way out of the house. "I packed shoes for you in case the weather changes and the car is loaded. Figured we can grab breakfast on the way."  
"Sounds good to me." I ran across the hot pavement to the car, ripped the door open and hopped inside, slamming the door shut. He made his way to the car, laughing at me. I placed the drink into the holder, dropped my purse onto the floor and pulled the seat belt on. I dropped my flats onto the floor and slapped on the stereo just as he sat down and closed the door.  
AC/DC blared through the speakers, causing him to eject the CD and toss it into the back. "Fuck sake. I don't need that right now." He reached up and grabbed a CD from the visor holder and shoved it into the slot.  
"Prince? Really?"  
"Yes. You got a problem with that?"  
"Nope, except for..." I turned up the volume and sang really loud, laughing when he sighed and pulled the car out of the drive way.  
"Is this how it's going to be the whole way there?"  
"Yup." I grinned at him. "It could be Madonna."  
"Shit."  
I giggled and then sipped my drink.


	3. Chapter Three

Waking up with a hangover was not how I planned my Saturday morning. Neither was falling asleep in my favorite black dress. Make up smudged on my face and the smell of vomit caking the room. What the fuck happened? It became apparent when I rubbed my eyes and felt something hard hit my nose. A raspy 'what the fuck' came out of my mouth as I sat up and looked at the rock on my hand. I turned to the partly naked Jeremy, asleep next to me on the bed, face down and slapped his arm until he woke up and sat up. "What the fuck happened last night?"  
"Um… we went to the UFC fight."  
"And apparently got married." I shoved my hand into his face and he squinted. "Care to explain and remind me why I don't remember anything."  
"We had too much to drink, I guess."  
"YOU GUESS?" I held back from screaming at him as he rubbed his eyes, cool as a cucumber. "When did we decide to do this?"  
"I think after your third AMF."  
"I can't....no." I climbed out of bed and noticed that my underwear was on the floor. "Oh, no. No, no, no."  
"Calm down." He sat up and looked at me.  
"Please tell me that we didn't fuck." I looked at him, worried, even though a part of me wanted it to be true.  
"Nawh, you passed out before we could do anything, so I let you sleep. I watched a movie until you threw up your dinner, took care of you and put you back to sleep."  
"Oh, thank God."  
"Shit, if I knew better, you're in a regretful mood."  
"We were drunk!"  
"I was drunk, you were obliterated. I tried to reason with you."  
"So you should have dragged me back here...."  
"Why? It's what you wanted. Didn't need to break your heart."  
"You're scarily calm about this."  
He shrugged his shoulders. "There’s nothing to be freaking out about. So we did it a stupid way. A lot of people do. If it makes you happier, we can have a mock one back at home."  
"I can't." I shook my head, disbelieving and thinking it’s a prank. He kinda owed me one anyway. I felt my body shake as I tried to process everything, grabbing onto him when he came up to me and took my face into his hands. His hazel orbs showing love.  
"It's going to be alright."  
"Says you. You've been married before."  
"Mina...breathe. The only difference between us being single and married, is a piece of paper and sex, if you allow it. Our friendship won’t change whether we stick with it or not."  
Sex? He just had to say the magic word and my mind went all over the place making it harder for me to stay calm. It was bad enough that the stench of cigarettes and his cologne on his clothes made me want him, the thought of him caressing me caused my knees to become weak and face flushed. My mind told my body to back away, but my body refused to move.  
"Are you going to be alright?" I couldn't respond to him, just stared into his eyes and wondered how many times we could have sex in a twenty-four hour period. His words that followed, left me speechless and that feeling came back. "If you want to stay married and work this out with me, then I will do my best to make you happy. But if you don't want this, I will let you and we can have this annulled quickly." I could feel his thumbs rub my cheek bones. "Friends only. Lovers only. Whatever you want, as long as I have you in my life cause without you, I don't know what I would do."  
I don't know what the fuck was wrong with me, I wanted to say to him that he would be just fine, like he once was before I came into his life. That was my inner bitch, who I hid behind a brick wall. But that's not what I said because Arlene's voice was in my head telling me to give him a chance. I think my lack of response forced him to back off and sit down onto the bed and that's when I noticed, fully noticed, that he was in his boxers.  
A gorgeous man was sitting practically naked in front of me, in Vegas, in an expensive hotel, married to me and I am all he wants. It was hard for me to believe and I was expecting someone to pop out of somewhere and yell that it was a prank all along. That is all I could keep going back to in my thoughts. Fuck.  
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. What was the worst that could happen? I don't want his money, I don't want his possessions. It would be awesome to be the stepmother of his beautiful daughter, but that wasn't the highest thing to think about. If I kept to this marriage, how was it going to affect me in the long run? How was it going to affect him? He was famous, I was not. Would that mean that he would keep me hidden, or would I have to be in the spotlight with him? What would the tabloids say about me? What could this do to his career?  
"I know what you're thinking." I became startled by his words, opening my eyes to take in the sight before me. "Worry about it when it comes up. Live in the moment."  
My body moved to him and before it registered in my mind, I was between his legs, looking down upon his beautiful face. His hands rested on my hips, waiting for me to make the first move. Whatever happened last night didn't count in my mind since I wasn't fully aware. This is the moment that counted.  
I bent down and kissed his chapped lips; lifted my legs and straddled him. He slid his hands from my hips to my back, holding me steady, taking every kiss that he could get from me. One hand rested onto his shoulder, while the other was on the back of his neck, tempted to pull on his hair. When I pulled back for some air, his right hand grabbed my thigh and he pressed his face into my chest; inhaling my scent.  
"Fuck, this is hard to not lose control." I smiled to myself and ran my hands through his hair. "Why do you smell so good?"  
"I don't know how I do. Didn't you say I puked last night?"  
"That's not what I'm smelling. I'm smelling your pheromones and some kind of perfume."  
"Oh, that's my Mahogany Teakwood. I've worn it before."  
"I know, but it’s different this time." He pulled back and looked up at me. "Stay here with me all day."  
"Alright." I was more than happy to stay with him. A few more kisses made him groan and when he stood up, holding me against him, I was ready for him to do whatever he wanted to me. I felt the strap on my dress slide down my shoulder and wanted to rip off my dress, but that urge quickly faded when someone knocked on the door. At first I thought it was the housekeeper, but the knock happened again and it was obvious that he knew who it was by the way he grunted.  
"Ugh. I was hoping they wouldn't find me here."  
"Paparazzi?"  
"A bit better than that, but not by much."  
"Should I be afraid?"  
"You should put on some panties." He lowered me to the ground and I took off to the bathroom with my panties in my hand, closing the door in a matter of seconds. I could hear him talking to someone and then I heard a familiar voice. It made me pull my panties on quickly, fix my dress, pull up my hair into a messy bun and then rush out to Jeremy, sliding to a stop when the foxy Romanian stared at me. Sebastian and Tom kept staring at me and back at Jeremy, trying to comprehend everything. Blair would strangle me if she found out about this. My phone was on the night stand and there was no way of passing by them to get it without looking like a freak.  
"When you said that you got married, I didn't think it was to her."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" I blurted out, not sure if I should be offended.  
"You're Blair's cousin, aren't you?" A smirk spread across his face and I could see Tom's eyes lit up a bit, out of the corner of my eye. "Tell her that I said hi."  
"I could call her and you can say it to her over the phone."  
"But that means I would actually have to say something."  
"Awe, poor baby." I went up to him and patted his chest, then stepped between Jeremy and Tom and went to my phone.  
"Don't do it."  
"Oh, I will." I grabbed my phone, unlocked it and placed my thumb on the number three button. Speed dial is my friend.  
I heard footsteps and within seconds my phone was ripped from my hand and held up high. I jumped for it, Sebastian laughing at me as I jumped again. "Please give it back."  
"Nope. You're the new girl, so I must pick on you." I looked to Jeremy for help, but he just sat there at the end of the bed with a smirk on his face. Sebastian's face went pale when he heard Blair's voice at the other end, saying 'hello' over and over.  
"HA! You dialed her!"  
He lowered his hand to look at it and I snatched it away and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door shut just as he caught up to me. I locked it and went to the tub and sat down on the edge. I laughed as he pleaded with me to not tell her that he was there with me. "Eat a bag of dicks." I yelled, then answered Blair. "Hey, B. So there's something that I need to tell you. Jeremy and I got married last night, here in Vegas. Apparently we drank too much.... and now I'm being harassed by Sebastian and Tom." Her silence was a bit confusing. I thought she would be shrieking at me, but it didn't happen. "Hello?" She responded by telling me that I should be ashamed of lying to me, so I snapped a picture of my hand and sent it to her, then opened the door and snapped a picture of his face and sent that to her as well. Holy shit and wishing that she was there with me, came out of her mouth and that she hated me and hoped that I was happy with the choice that I made with Renner.  
"I'm still trying to figure out my emotions for him." Before she could respond, someone demanded that she got off the phone, so I let her go back to what she was doing, but sent her a bunch of pictures of the boys.  
While Jeremy got dressed, Sebastian cornered me in the bathroom, door closed and sat me down onto the toilet seat. "I don't know you, I don't know your intentions, but you hurt him and I will..."  
"Will, what? He wanted this more than I did." I paused. "At least not this way...." I paused again, worried that my words were coming out wrong. "No. I mean... I want him... I do want to be married to him, but I was hoping in a year from now. After we've gotten to know each other more. This, this was accidental."  
"Accident or not, it's happened and you're going to have to make a big decision. Stay with him or annul it and go back to where you came from."  
"Ouch."  
"I don't mean to be an asshole, but I can't see him get hurt again. Too many girls have messed with him and he doesn't need it again. You also have to understand that he's not only my co-worker, but my friend."  
"I know. I promise you that I'm not out to hurt him. I don't want his money or his things. I just want him, his daughter is a bonus. I'm just...scared." Sebastian pulled me to my feet and into his body, hugging me tight. Damn. He smelled good.  
"If you feel like you can't do this, come to me. I'll gladly help you out."  
"I hope that's not flirtation."  
"No. It's me giving the okay to seek me out for assistance."  
"Thank you." I stepped back and looked up at him, then at the door when we heard a knock.  
"You're not stealing my wife already, are you?" I went to the door and opened it.  
"No. He's just being a concerned friend. Worse of it would be him killing me." I went around him and shuffled over to my suit case grabbing clean clothes to change into. Jeremy and Sebastian went over to the TV, while I went back into the bathroom to change.  
When I emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, Jeremy came up to me and placed his hands onto my arms. "We're going to go out for some food and hit up a casino. I wanted to give you some time to think about all of this. Are you going to be alright with this?"  
"Sure. I can watch a movie and text Blair."  
"I should be back by dinner." He kissed me sweetly, then headed to the door with the boys. I shuffled over to the couch and sat down, bummed that we were interrupted, but glad that I was going to have time to think things through. My phone buzzed and lit up, showing me that Blair messaged me. What are you going to do? It read.  
I sucked on my lower lip, not sure of anything.  
I could leave, pack all my stuff and move out of his place, back to Oregon and file for a divorce from there....  
Or I could stick around and at least try to be a wife.  
I knew one thing. Sex was something to help make a decision, although it could blind me from everything that would go wrong.  
Fucking hell.  
I'm living a cliché life now.


	4. Chapter Four

I woke up when I felt a hand on my thigh; my hand shot out and grasped their arm hard, nails digging into them. I slowed my breathing when I realized that Jeremy was back from his outing with the boys. "Damn. Don't scare me."  
"What did you do, watch a horror movie?"  
"No, I just scare easily, ‘cause you know."  
"I'm sorry." His voice was softer. "More so for not returning back when I said that I would. You can be mad if you want."  
"I forgot that you were out, since I'm so used to being alone. Didn't think that I would fall back asleep."  
"Are you hungry?"  
"The heat is making it hard for me to have an appetite."  
"Does ice cream sound good? I can have room service bring some up."  
"Can we go out instead? I wanted to see the city without having to ride in a limo."  
"If that's what you really want. I would put on sneakers, though." He held out his hand and I grabbed it and pulled myself up. "It's should only take about five minutes to get to the closest one."  
"Alright. Let me get my socks and shoes on." I slid my hand from his and made my way over to my suit case. I pulled out socks and slid them on, followed by my shoes, grabbed my purse and hung it over my shoulders. Jeremy shuffled over to me, took my hand and led me out and down to the elevator.  
He was correct that it only took us five minutes to get to the ice cream parlor, but an extra five minutes to order and receive our flavors. We sat together outside and watched people walk by and I was pleased to see that he was relaxed for once. "What flavor did you get?"  
He looked at me with a funny face. "Didn't you hear me?"  
"I was kind of spacy."  
"Chocolate Fudge Brownie."  
"Kinda plain, don't you think?"  
"Yeah, but it's good. Better than your purple alien vomit."  
I smiled. "It's Bubblegum. I mixed the pink and blue for the pretty purple. I always do it. It's one of my favorites, but I don't get it much cause they don't sell it in stores. This one and Cotton Candy." He dug into my ice cream and plopped the plastic spoon into his mouth.  
"Tastes like Santa strangled the Easter Bunny."  
I was taken aback by his words, but found them amusing. "Wow, I wasn't expecting that."  
"There's a lot of that as time goes on."  
"Oh, well, this is going to be an interesting relationship."  
"I like to keep you on your toes."  
"Kinda have to since I'm short." I grinned.  
"That's alright, I'll buy you a stool."  
"You buy me a stool and you may never get a blow job."  
"Oooh...." He looked away trying to not choke on his ice cream. "I may have to turn you into a contortionist." My eyes lit up and I became speechless. He had a smug look on his face when he looked back at me. I wanted to challenge him on that, wanted to jump over the table and kiss him in front of everyone.  
"I think it's time to go back to the hotel."  
"Afraid that I'll fuck you in front of thousands of people?"  
"Kind of not an appropriate place to talk about sexual..."  
"Oh, Mina. Lighten up."  
I opened my mouth to retort, only to be shot down when a tall redhead and blonde walked up and stuck their chests out. Brittany and Tiffany wanted an autograph and selfies, but became disgusted with him when he turned them down. "We've never been turned down before." Said the blonde as she ran her fingers over her extremely large chest. Jeremy looked at me and I looked away. I forgot for a small moment that he was famous.  
"I'm out here with my wife, trying to spend time with her." He got up, pulled me to my feet and walked away with me, putting my arm around his. "Do me a favor." I wasn't sure what he was about to say, but I could tell that he was overwhelmed with something. "There's paparazzi following us. Normally I don't mind and no, I'm not ashamed of being with you, but I'm not ready to explain myself. I just want some peace and quiet for once."  
"Want me to flash them?"  
"No, but you can flash me when we get home." He smirked.  
We heard some of the assholes call out to him, then suddenly they began to run after us, causing us to run back to the hotel and make a mad dash inside. We took the stairs to our floor, so we could be ahead of them and once we reached our door, he shoved the key inside the lock and opened the door. He let me go in first, slipping in behind me and closed the door quickly. He then locked it, went to the windows and closed the blinds.  
"I'm sorry that they are like that. How do you always deal?"  
"I just do. Some of them are kind and know when to back off, but those are the type that don't give a fuck." He pulled off his shirt, dropped it onto the floor, then kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks. "I'm going to shower, want to join me?"  
I was hesitant on answer him. I hadn't seen him fully naked before and I was afraid of him seeing me that way. He walked into the bathroom and started the water, peeling off his jeans and briefs before stepping inside. I was amazed at how nicely his butt was shaped and it made me want to slap it.  
Fuck it.  
I pulled off my shoes, tossing them by the door, then stripped down and headed into the bathroom. I took a deep breath, letting it out quickly then climbed over the side and was greeted by a pleased man. He splashed me with the water, grabbed the bar of soap and ran it between his hands. Lathering my skin from neck to toe, I felt pampered and didn't want it to end when he began to rinse me off. Without warning, he pushed me against the cold wall, lips pressed against mine, hands all over my body. His penis was throbbing against me, but this wasn't how I wanted my first time with him to go.  
He trailed kisses across my jaw line, down my neck and gently nibbled at my shoulder. A part of me wondered why the hell we got in here in the first place, while another part of me wanted us to go back out to the bed. The rest of me was telling me to shut the fuck up and enjoy every minute of it.  
"I want you." WHOA THERE! How did that slip out of my mouth?  
"You have me, baby. I'll be yours for as long as you want me." His whisper made me hot all over. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since the day we first met. Seeing you naked is better than I expected."  
"I'm chubby."  
"I don't care. You're perfect to me." His hand ran up between my legs and rubbed my wet folds, causing me to gasp in his ear. My hands clawed at his shoulders when I felt his fingers slide into me, gently caressing. His palm rubbed against my bundle of nerves and I let a moan slip from my mouth.  
"Do we need to do this in here?"  
"I figured it was easier to wash off afterwards."  
"I rather be on a comfy bed." I heard my phone go off.  
"Ignore it."  
"Doing so." I nipped at his lips, sighing when my phone went off again. "Dammit it."  
"Ignore it."  
"I'm trying to." When it went off for the third time, he backed away from me and I stepped out, grabbed a towel and rushed out to my purse. I grabbed my phone and answered it. "Blair. What's wrong?" Nothing was wrong. She was checking up on me and making sure that I wasn't doing anything that I would forget. I wanted to scream at her for interrupting me, instead, I wrapped the towel around me as best as I could and flopped down onto the bed. I rolled my eyes as she went on about her day, I was happy for her that she got a raise, but I was more interested in what was waiting for me in the shower.  
By the time she stopped blabbing, Jeremy walked out and laid down onto the bed next to me. He displayed himself in front of me, pretending to model and I fought back a laugh as I listened to her talk to someone standing next to her. When she began to talk again, he rolled over and bit my shoulder, slipped the phone from my hand and turned off my phone. He dropped it onto the floor, grabbed me around the waist and rolled me on top of him. I teased him with kisses, while leaning on my arms, running my hand through his hair.  
"Do you want me to take charge?" I smirked at him, rolled my hips once against him and heard a faint gasp. "Oh, you do, don't you?" I kissed his neck and lightly sucked on his ear. His hands shook against my legs and I could feel his ring slid against my skin.  
"Tease." He yipped when I bit his ear, then sat up and grinned down at him. "This should have happened last night. Not the drunken mess we both became."  
"Don't worry about it." He sat up and placed his lips against my breast, teased my nipples with his tongue and then gently suckled. I couldn't prevent the moans from slipping out and became so disoriented, he was able to flip me onto my back and get on top of me before I could protest. He leaned on his arms and kissed me back multiple times before pulling at my bottom lip with his.  
"Do you want it yet?"  
"Working up to it."  
"Should I help you along?" He shifted onto his side and stuck his hand between us. "Maybe I should spice this up? He scooted down, placed himself between my legs and pushed me up towards the headboard. He wrapped his arms around my thighs and lowered his mouth onto my nub, lightly rubbing his tongue against it. A loud gasp came from me and my hands instantly went to his arms, grasping them hard. Fuck came out of my mouth more than five times and I couldn't get him to give me a break, no matter how hard my nails went into his skin, or how much my body twisted under him. He had me pinned to the bed and wasn't letting up until I cummed into his mouth. I was seeing black by the time he got me to reach the body high, then couldn't come down as he slid up from the bottom of the bed and leaned over me. "Mmm, fuck, you taste good." His raspy voice made me feel tingly inside. "Are you going to be okay?" I shook my head and watched him get up and walk to the bathroom. He returned with a clean pair of briefs on and climbed into bed with me.  
"Is that all?" I looked up at him, confused.  
"For now." He winked at me and kissed me sweetly. "You're flushed and you need some sleep."  
"I'm not sure if I should be happy or upset."  
"Why would you be upset?"  
"Cause we didn't have sex and you didn't get off."  
"I'm not worried about it. I'm going to wait for the perfect time." He pulled the blanket over me and snuggled closer. I placed my head on his shoulder, closed my eyes with a smile on my face. If this is how things were always going to be, then sign me up for a long time relationship.  
"You think Arlene and the girls will smother me with a pillow, or be excited for us?"  
"Hmmm. That's a tough one. Possibly both." I snickered and felt him squeeze my thigh. "Are you sure you don't want to have sex tonight? You've already built up so much for me."  
"I'm sure, love. You'll know when the time is right." He kissed my head. "Get some sleep. We have an early flight." But I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to stay up all night and kiss him. I wanted to talk to him about anything and everything.  
My body rejected the ideas and started to tone down my energy. I was becoming a slave to the sandman once again.


End file.
